1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toothbrush. More specifically, the invention relates to a toothbrush which contains a significant quantity of toothpaste therein and dispenses the toothpaste onto the toothbrush bristles.
2. Description of Related Art
In many different circumstances when a person does not have access to convenient bathroom facilities, such as when traveling or camping, it is desirable to have a toothbrush which may be stored and transported with a minimum of difficulty. Additionally, it is often inconvenient at times to carry a supply of toothpaste in addition to the toothbrush. For these reasons, several toothbrushes which contain a significant supply of toothpaste therein that may be easily dispensed onto the brush head have been disclosed in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,155, issued Nov. 19, 1991 to Philip H. English and Anthony D. Szpak discloses a toothbrush having a removable and disposable handle portion adapted to contain a significant quantity of toothpaste therein. The disposable handle relies on a screw driven piston mechanism to force toothpaste from the handle, through a channel formed through the brush head, and onto the bristles. A tube is located at the outlet of the channel formed through the brush head to help dispense toothpaste onto the top of the bristles and a valve helps prevent the toothpaste within the toothbrush from being contaminated.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,578,922, issued Mar. 30, 1926 to Joseph A. Sargery, 3,141,465, issued Jul. 24, 1964 to Thomas S. Petropoulos, and Belgium Patent number 526,405, issued Feb. 27, 1954, disclose toothbrushes which are adapted to have a toothpaste containing cartridge placed within the handle thereof. All three toothbrushes rely on a screw driven piston mechanism to force the toothpaste out of the cartridge, through a channel in the brush head, and onto the bristles of the toothbrush.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,125, issued Sep. 18, 1990 to Merle L. Yaneza, discloses a toothbrush having a handle adapted to be filled with a significant quantity of toothpaste and a screw driven piston mechanism adapted to force the toothpaste through a hole in the top of the handle. The brush head of the toothbrush threadably attaches to the top of the handle to seal the toothpaste dispensing hole therein and a floss dispensing mechanism is fixedly attached to the bottom of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,648, issued Dec. 7, 1976 to Michael A. Kuryla, and French Patent Number 1,034,682, issued Jul. 29, 1953, disclose toothbrushes having hollow handles adapted to contain a significant quantity of toothpaste therein and screw driven piston mechanisms adapted to force the toothpaste through a channel in the brush head and onto the bristles of the toothbrush. The screw driven piston mechanisms of the both toothbrushes may be removed from within the handle to allow the handle to be refilled with toothpaste.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,145,147, issued Mar. 20, 1979 to Joseph T. Schuck, 4,201,490, issued May 6, 1980 to Augustino D'Angelo, and 5,026,191, issued Jun. 25, 1991 to Cesar Akly disclose toothbrushes which contain significant quantities of toothpaste in hollow handle portions and which utilize screw driven piston mechanisms to force the toothpaste through a channel in the brush head and onto the bristles of the toothbrush. None of the toothbrushes mentioned above are adapted to be refilled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,635, issued Dec. 13, 1977 to Wu Teh-Sheng, and Italian Patent Number 420,129 issued Apr. 16, 1947, disclose toothpaste dispensing toothbrushes which dispense toothpaste from a reservoir within the toothbrush handle onto the bristles of the toothbrush. The toothbrushes mentioned above both rely on a directly driven piston to dispense the toothpaste contained therein.
However, none of the prior art discloses a toothbrush which has a hollow handle adapted to receive a disposable toothpaste cartridge therein, a screw driven piston mechanism for forcing the toothpaste from the handle, and a plurality of elastic valves regulating the flow of toothpaste onto the bristles of the brush head.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.